With social search influencing where consumers click, it seems to follow that social data on websites could impact what they buy. EMarketer reports that "social sign-ons" on websites may prove to be the next phase of social ecommerce.
Social sign-ons allow users to sign into Facebook accounts instead of registering with a business site. They afford brands access to web visitors' Facebook profile information to create a targeted ecommerce experience.
EMarketer relays information from Edge Research indicating that 18 percent of ecommerce sites already offer web visitors the chance to log into their Facebook accounts. Another 18 percent have Facebook login implementations in progress, and 32 percent plan to offer social sign-on solutions within two years.
"Bringing Facebook profile data into retail sites makes sense because it influences consumers when they are close to conversion," says Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer principal analyst.
Still, marketers might consider that consumers are cautious about personalized web experiences, and it's social recommendations on Facebook that seem to drive sales. Brafton recently reported that social recommendations impact purchase decisions for teens and their parents, and the e-Tailing group reports that 31 percent of consumers consider Facebook posts about products.
Marketers might want to monitor Facebook developments to see if they can offer ecommerce pages to users directly on the social site. As Brafton has reported, Facebook is currently forming partnerships to expand its ecommerce options.
